Imagine a trip to Outer Space. An image of a rocket is projected onto a Big screen. The sound of the rocket engines blasts from all sides of the room, feeling the bass rumble resonate. The tension builds towards lift off…5 4 3 2 1 lift off! The room now slowly changes colour as the rocket journeys through outer space, all controlled by sensory switching by a client or clients working together. The adventures of history, the sea, the jungle are all out there waiting for you to discover them. A virtual world to be controlled in a classroom of the future!
The government wants to build schools for the future. Working with technology to engage pupils and giving them new a learning environment.

A suitable PC computer or laptop will be required and can be installed on the top of the main control cabinet (if you are including this system in a sensory room). The computer, loaded with standard windows software, will be installed with special "Jigsaw" interactive activity software. The computer will be connected to a "Big Screen Projection System" and its audio output connected to the rooms sound system.

The concept of this computer controlled sensory system is to provide challenging interactive tasks to the children with a variety of tasks from simple to difficult and includes several facilities for the incorporation of external activities that can be transferred to the sensory room at a time of your choice.

For example; design a jigsaw combining pictures, words and sounds that can be projected onto the wall in a sensory room and perhaps be included with matching lighting effects.

Imagine this; on the wall is a projected picture of an empty launch pad. Below the picture are a series of images (Rocket, space man, the moon, stars, parachute, water etc.) and words. The client picks up the rocket by clicking it with a computer mouse and drops it onto the launch pad. The sound system produces the sound of a rocket taking off. The child does the countdown (10, 9, 7, 6 etc) through a radio microphone. As the rocket goes into space the stars are clicked onto the jigsaw and the child finds the correct sensory switch to turn on the starry sky projector. At the end of the adventure the rocket splashes down in the sea, the sound system produces water splash noises and the child finds the sensory switch that activates the wheel projector that projects underwater scenes onto the wall.

This is just a simple example. You will be able to create as many jigsaw adventures as you wish and include actual digital pictures of the children (taken with your own camera) along with sounds and voices that you can record alongside the appropriate picture.

Couple this by the children selecting their own lighting effect, in the sensory room, to match the point in the story and the room becomes a tool to stretch and express their imagination.

The jigsaw software also includes simple numeric and spelling aids along with various object and environment recognition programs.

Jigsaw software can be used both in the classroom and in sensory rooms and is an excellent addition to add to your teaching tools.

See also Green Screen Technology